Revived (Ripped)

Shadowclan camp wasn't like what it used to be.

It felt foreign to him, and with good reason, and it was with good reason he was out consistently, hunting and serving, keeping his clanmates well and alive... even if some of them were accepting the dark forest, but what was there to be done? Not all of them had the strength to be martyrs and senseless warriors, working hard to keep their oppressors fed too. He was restless, with no way to vent properly, he was a Shadowclan cat and yet it didn't really feel like it at times.

Nightstalker felt such a disconnect, now that his ancestors were gone, surely they were still out there though? If the dark forest was here, then his faith was not unfounded, all that he was raised to know and believe was not wrong, even though they were nothing but bad ghosts, they were still proof that Starclan was a tangible being. Inhaling deeply, he let his breath out slow and steady, trying to ease his nerves.

Snakepaw followed after Nightstalker but the urge to scurry off was overwhelming. He might get lost and that was just fine in his eyes. The slender black apprentice would have enjoyed being off by himself for sometime given he never really got lonely. However, he would have eventually gotten bored. Besides, the bright white of the warrior's tailtip had caught his attention. From his position low to the ground, slithering along with paws tucked neatly underneath him, the dark-furred tom began to silently snap at the fur. His fangs just barely missed each time. But he was certain this time. Finally, he caught a few white strands and yanked them away. Success!

There was a sharp tug on his tail and Nightstalker gave a loud, aggressive hiss, turning quickly on his paws as his mouth split open to reveal wicked teeth that had been hidden behind his lips. He noticed quickly that it was just Snakepaw, the little tom that was quite a biter, perhaps this was a lesson to learn. Nightstalker snapped his jaws around at least half of the apprentice's face, a grumble rumbling in his throat and sending vibrations running through his bones. He was not putting a ton of pressure on the little tom's head, before swiftly releasing the little tom. "Lesson one, if you're going to pick a fight, pick it right." Nightstalker harrumphed, taking care to right Snakepaw and smoothing any disturbed fur where his teeth had once been. "If you wanted to come with, all you had to do was ask." Tilting his head in the direction of travel, Nightstalker turned and padded towards the Pine Grove.

Before Snakepaw could even blink, fangs were wrapped around his head. The sharp prick of teeth was unexpected but it caused a grin across his maw. Honestly, he had not expected it. But after his fight with Grasspaw, the apprentice had discovered that pain hardly bothered him. Yes, it still hurt, but it excited him. When Nightstalker finally released, the lean black tom shook his head slightly. He trotted after the warrior and debated whether or not specifically antagonizing him would be a good idea. Who was he kidding, he always meant to antagonize - it brought him joy.

Scuttling along close to earth, he meowed in an even tone, "I'd never try to pick a fight, Nightslash. You just have a very interesting tail tip I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It made a good target." He wasn't lying at least. Narrowed eyes stared ahead, as if looking off after some distant target.

Nightstalker flicked an ear dismissively, probably much to Snakepaws ire, at the failed attempt to poke and prod Nightstalker, but it seemed that it was a common misconception to Shadowclan and his clan-mates that he was easy to rile. He certainly used to be, but he had grown (finally) past his edgy young tom phase. And he had more than his share of manipulations and cats talking down at him telling him what to do, not that this was a situation that was really happening right now, but it did help plenty with his tough skin and admittedly still snarky attitude. "I can't deny that for every white spot I have may as well be a separate battle target. I'd make good target practice for young apprentices." Nightstalker joked, though his tone was a bit flat and dry as it typically was, he doubted that Snakepaw would pick up on his humour. "What did you want to do today?" He mewed, not turning his head to look at the young tom to ask the question.